Art for art's sake

Mishawaka painter's work at Fondue.

Mishawaka painter's work at Fondue.

July 05, 2006|LAUREEN FAGAN Tribune Staff Writer

Stop into Fondue, a restaurant in the 100 Center in Mishawaka, and you're likely to be treated to a little more than melted cheese delights. That's where Mishawaka artist Ron Patton has his work on display -- paintings he's completed despite, or perhaps because of, a physical condition that confines him to a wheelchair. "I didn't get into painting until I moved here," said Patton, 48, who lived in Gary before moving in 1994. "I have contractions," he explained, at home in his 100 Center apartment with his wife, Jennifer, whose spina bifida keeps her in a wheelchair. "I can move my legs and stuff but I can't straighten up like you can," Ron said as Jennifer added that he has rheumatoid arthritis. But the Pattons focus more on their abilities, rather than what they cannot do. And painting -- primarily portraiture -- is what Ron Patton loves to do most. "I've always been interested in art," he said. "I just never really stuck to it." He used to draw. And when, upon moving here, he first met Jennifer, he was dabbling in painting. In fact, it was another 100 Center resident who gave him his first paintbrushes and some paint. From there, he took art instruction through a correspondence class, graduating in 2002, Ron Patton said. "My mother-in-law paid for me to go to art instruction school," Patton explained. For her part, Jennifer likes to knit and crochet, and enjoys some photography, too. "She's amazing," Ron said. But it's her support of Ron that really shines through as Patton talks about his work. "Right now, I'm doing acrylic and oils," Ron said. At his easel is a just-finished portrait of an eagle for the Fourth of July. Mostly, though, he prefers portraiture. "That one there is Bill Cosby," he said, pointing to a canvas on the floor, leaning against the furniture. "That one is my wife." Another was done from a photograph of Wesley Snipes in "Blade." Patton said he doesn't much care for landscapes or still life. "To me, they're done too much," he explained. "You'd be surprised how many people would love to see a portrait of their mother, friend, even their dog done." Patton loves cartoons, too, and has a painting on the wall of his entrance hallway of Scooby-Doo and Shaggy. He still takes lessons, studying once a week at Studio Arts Center in South Bend. He considers local artist David Allen to be a mentor, as well as Anne Binder, director of the center. "I want to explore as much as possible," Patton said, describing how he avoids the mess of watercolors but dabbles a bit in pastels. "I'm not gonna ever give up painting."Staff writer Laureen Fagan: lfagan@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6344